Posts Tagged: Christmas season

Holidays — Comments Off
3
Mar 11

Christmas Season at the Office

It’s already that time – the Christmas season. It comes earlier and earlier each year, and with all the joy and happiness the season brings, along comes the angst of gift-giving. Not the gifts we give to the ones we love, because those are easy. The angst of “gifting” at the office.

Many families are in a financial crunch this time of year. Gasoline costs a minimum of $50 to fill a tank, which the average American does 1.6 per week in order to get to work. Many offices, recognizing the limitations of employees, have adopted policy of no gifting, or limit the costs of gifts to some small amount – but even a $5 limit can add up to $50 you could have spent on something else which you need a lot more than a festive Coke décor coffee mug, or a plastic reindeer that poos M&M candies.

Home-made Christmas gifts for co-workers is a good solution, and one that you an even “outsource,” to use company vernacular. Put those kids to work tying up small satchels of nuts, or candy, or small pieces of coal. (The coal trick will probably be funny once, but probably won’t work 2 Christmases in a row.) One very clever idea is to take a batch of Christmas cards, address them to your co-workers, and insert a home-made CD. This could be as involved or generic as you need. Perhaps it’s a collection of songs that you think (or know) the person likes. Or it could be a Christmas CD of seasonal favorites done in other genres or by different artists. “Blue Christmas” done in a bluegrass style, for example, complete with Banjo and tenor vocals, or a Reggae version of White Christmas. (Believe it or not, both exist.) Or perhaps a collection of Christmas tunes done by contemporary artists, or even versions you’ve never heard of before. There are some beautiful songs out there.

And of course the classic home-made Christmas gift is food – and not the satchel of nuts or candies. Home-made cookies. Real fudge. These treats satisfy your gifting angst, and insure that you don’t get a satchel of coal or one of those M&M poo-ing reindeer in return! Not a chef? Not a problem, because there are millions of recipe sites on-line that will walk you through the cookie or fudge-making process. Even if it takes a batch or two to get things exactly right, your family will probably appreciate your learning process!

Holidays — Comments Off
21
Mar 10

Christmas Traditions – Why it is Vital to Keep the Child Inside All of Us Alive

The innocence ends for all of us eventually, and for some that time comes at unfortunately a very young age. Sometimes sickness, familial conflicts, or a multitude of other negative forces take hold of what should be a glorious time of our lives, our childhood. However, no matter what our age, nor our background, it is never too late to turn our gaze towards the youth of our world, try to see the world through their young and innocent eyes, and either relive through them or live for the first time the joy that each year’s Christmas season should bring.

Our children do grow up fast, and because of that certainty of life, it is essential that we help them celebrate in this uncertain world, their whimsical fantasies of youth and enjoy their childhood the way God intended. With the innocence and exuberance for life that only a child is capable of.

Sometimes it takes having our own children to revive that same exuberance that we remember feeling at a young age. When my father passed away just two days prior to Christmas day when I was but a mere 11 years of age, I became numb to the well wishers and helpful humanitarians that came to the aid of our spirit zapped family. Yet to this day, I cannot and hope to never forget with each passing year, the long lasting importance of what they did for us. Whether it was bringing a freshly prepared meal for us to eat, or a kindly wrapped present in the absence of any, their thoughtfulness will always be appreciated.

It was many years before I was able to feel the same joy and exuberance from the Christmas traditions of my early youth, but eventually it did return, and with even greater intensity as I was able to welcome my own two beautiful children in to our world. The importance of them being able to feel the same excitement that I was fortunate to experience was not only important, but essential.

That is why I implore anyone who feels the same rush of excitement that a child feels during Christmas to consider volunteering your time where possible to a worthy children’s charity or organization for those less fortunate. No child should ever be deprived of their right to celebrate the same Christmas traditions that are afforded the more fortunate. You might be surprised at how just a few minutes out of a day can go a long way towards bringing happiness to a less fortunate child. They may not thank you now, but it will have a long lasting impact on their lives, and they will most likely want to repeat the kindness for someone else less fortunate later in their own life.

So, I beseech all of us to try and see the world through child-like eyes, and give back to those youth of the world who are maybe not in a position to celebrate the Christmas season the way it should be. By keeping the child inside of us alive, we are in a great position to help out wherever possible.

Merry Christmas!

Stephen Baird is an author, artisan, and founder of the well respected Christmas display firm Village Fantasies, designers of animated and life like Harvest and Christmas villagescapes for the holiday season. Expansive and detailed with textured landscapes and realism so unmatched, the displays by Village Fantasies take viewers to a place where storybook dreams come to life http://www.villagefantasies.com